1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to orthotics, and more particularly, to ankle and foot corrective and protective orthoses.
2. Description of the Related Art
Several designs for foot and ankle orthoses have been designed in the past. None of them, however, includes a device that can ergonomically correctly rotate a pronated ankle into proper position while being worn inside almost any third party footwear by use of a multiplicity of means including, inter alia, specifically built-up areas, rigid and flexible portions, embedded reinforcements, bracing at specific points while also providing a gentle ankle rotation.
Applicant believes that the closest reference corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 5,486,157 issued to DiBenedetto. However, it differs from the present invention because the present invention simultaneously rotates a pronated ankle while providing multiple built-up areas under the sole that combine to correct foot and ankle posture while still retaining the ability to flex at the ankle joint and the present invention can fit inside almost any commercially available standard footwear.
Furthermore, DiBenedetto uses right angles and brute force to straighten the ankle-foot joint where the present invention tends to counter the foot's tendency to pronate by, among other means, corrective rotation, targeted support and strategic build-ups (build up or build-ups are sometimes referred to interchangeably with post) to more naturally, and thus comfortably, improve alignment.
Other patents describing the closest subject matter provide for a number of more or less complicated features that fail to solve the problem in an efficient and economical way. None of these patents suggest the novel features of the present invention.